Device for opening or closing doors of elevator-wells



7 (No Model.) v

J.. P. RUNKE-L. DEVICE FOR OBENINGQOR CLOSING DOORS 0F ELEVATOR WELLS;

N0. 552.,005x Patented Dec. 24, 1895.

w W $0M mo WM z. QQQQ w 0 N I wzw z UNITED STATES ATENT Fries,

JOHN P. RUNKEL, OF MILWAUKEE, XVISOONSIN! DEVICE FOR OPENING OR CLOSINGDOORS OF ELEVATOR-WELLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,005, dated December24, 1895. Application filed May 3, 1895. Serial No. 548,011. (No model.)

W T aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN P. RUNKEL, of Milwaukee, in the county ofMilwaukee and State of Visconsin, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Devices for Opening or Closing the Doors ofElevator-Wells, of which the following is a description,reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of thisspecification.

My invention has relation to improvements in devices for opening andclosing the doors of elevator wells. V

It consists of certain improvements upon the device covered by myapplication for Letters Patent, filed December 26, 1894, Serial No.532,904, the object being to provide a more simple construction of thatpart of the mechanism to which the operating-lever is secured, and. bywhich the door is opened and closed, and held in a locked position whenclosed.

My invention also contemplates a further object, which will behereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the inner sideof an elevatorwell door with my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 isan edge view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the opposite side tothat shown in Fig. 1 of the door-operating mechanism, showing thesafety-lever as having been moved, but the door-lever as yet unaffectedby the spring connected thereto. Fig. at is an edge elevation of thelock-casing. Fig. 5 is an outer face view of one side of saidlock-casing. Fig. 6 is an inner face view of the other section of saidlock-casing, and Fig. 7 is an illustration ofthe preferred form ofconnection for the end of the spring 20.

Like numerals of reference denote like parts throughout the severalviews.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 7 indicates aflooring; 8, theframe of an elevator-well door; 9, the door, which is suspended by theusual hangers 1O 10 and is adapted to slide laterally in grooves or waystherefor.

Secured to each floor of the building in proximity to and to one side ofthe door of the elevator-well is a frame 11, preferably in theform of asegment of a circle. Pivoted centrally to the highest point of thecircle,

upon a stud 12, is a lever 13, having journaled at its upper end, uponone side, an antifriction-roller 14:. At one edge the upper extremity ofthe lever is provided with a lug 15 projecting forwardly at right anglesthereto, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The numeral 16 indicates a door-operating lever. The lower end insteadof being an integral part of this lever is preferably a casting 17,which is provided with edge lugs 18 projecting both ways beyond thecasting. The lower end of the lever proper is passed between these lugsand is secured to the casting. The lower end of the casting turns uponthe stud 12, and is located thereon in front of the lever 13. Thecasting has also projecting therefrom an integral arm 19. The ends offiat curved springs 20 20 are secured to the lower end of lever 13. Theopposite end of the outer spring 20is secured to a lug 21, while theopposite end of the inner spring 20 is secured to the end of arm 19.

The lock-casing consists of two sections 22 and 23, respectively. Theinner section 22 is provided upon its outer side, at opposite points,with circular blocks 24C 24, each of which is provided with a projectingshoulder 25. The outer section has secured to its outer face an arm 26,which is bolted to the edge of the door. This outer section is alsoprovided with two keyholes 27 27, and with two bolt-holes 28 28, whichbolt-holes when the sections are adj usted together are adapted toregister with similar holes 29 29 in the other section, said registeringholes adapted to re ceive the bolts for securing the two sectionstogether.

The upper end of the door-operating lever 16 passes between the twosections of the easing and is provided upon its inner edge, near itsupper end, with a shoulder 30, which is adapted to engage under theshoulder of block 24, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. This shoulder 30 ispreferably provided, although it is obvious that instead thereof theupper end of the operating-lever could terminate where the shoulder islocated, and said upper end engage the shoulder of b1ock'24, and thesame result obtained.

It will be understood that the parts just described are adapted to beused in connection with mechanism carried by the elevator for engagingthe operating-lever and turning it upon its pivot upon the ascent ordescent of the elevator-cage, as fully described in my application forLetters Patent filed December 26, 1894, Serial No. 532,904.

In operation, if the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, and indescending it is desired that the cage should stop at the floor belowand the door opened, the operator throws the mechanism carried by theelevator-cage into action to engage the roller 14. As the cage continuesto descend, the action of the mechanism carried thereby on said rollercauses the lever 13 to be turned upon its pivot,

thereby compressing the two springs 20 and 20. If the door moves veryfreely and with but little friction in its ways, the door-lever will beturned on its pivot at the same time the lever 13 is turned, but not sorapidly as said lever 13. \Vhen the lever 13 has reached the limit ofits movement, spring begins to regain its normal expanded condition, andin doing so, inasmuch as one end is attached to arm 19, thedoor-operating lever 16 is brought to the full limit of its movement.

As the shoulder at the upper end of said lever is, when the door isclosed and before the movement of the lever begins, in engagement withthe shoulder 25 of block 24, it is evident that the moment said lever isactuated, inasmuch as the upper end thereof is moved in the arc of acircle, the shoulder 30 thereof is released from engagement with theshoulder 25 and the outer edge ofthe lever is brought into engagementwith the edge of block 24, thereby necessarily sliding the doorlaterally in its ways or grooves to an open position. After thepassengers are let out at this floor and as soon as the elevator beginsto travel again, the mechanism carried by the elevatorcage is allowed toresume its normal inactive position. The outer spring 20 has now anopportunity to expand, and in doing so acts upon the lower end of lever13 and returns the lever to its former position. Said lever 13 in thusreturning carries with it, by reason of the lug 15, the door-operatinglever. The upper end of said. lever is thereby thrown out of contactwith the block 24, over toward the block 24, and into engagement withthe proj ecting shoulder 25 thereof, and with the continued movement ofsaid operating-lever the door is forced laterally back to a closedposition. lVhen thus closed, as shown in Fig. 1, it is obvious that itcannot be opened by force applied directly to the door, in view of thefact that the lever swings in the arc of a circle, and of course anyforce applied to the door for the purpose of sliding the same to an openposition would only have the effect of more closely wedging the same.Inasmuch as the upper end of the lever is confined between the twosections of the casing, it will also be seen that it is difficult foraccess to be obtained to the lever from the outside of the door.

It is not essential to successful operation that the block 24 beprovided with a shoulder 25. I have shown such shoulder in connectionwith block 24, however, in order-to clearly illustrate the feature ofthe interchangeability of the parts, whereby they are made adaptable nomatter in what direction laterally the eleva= tor-well doors are openedand closed. If, for instance, my invention is to be applied to a dooropening in an opposite direction to that shown in Fig. 1, thelock-casing is applied to said opposite edge of the door and theoperating-lever reversed, so that the shoulder 30 thereof will engagethe inner shoulder 25 of the block, in this new relation of the parts,of course the mechanism connected up to the operating-lever is alsoreversed. I have shown the outer section 23 of the lock-casing asprovided with two keyholes 27. This adapts a key to be inserted, and thelever thrown out of locked engagement with the locking-shoulder of ablock from the outside of the door at whichever edge of the door thelock-casing may be applied.

In my application for Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to a barrunning transversely of the door and connected at one end with theoperating-lever and at the opposite end with a latch was absolutelynecessary in order to secure the opening and closing of the door and thelocking of the door in its closed position. It will be seen that by myimproved construction these several parts are entirely dispensed with,and the device thereby very much simplified. Said former application forpatent also covered lever mechanism, as well as mechanism carried by thecage for operating said lever mechanism. No claim, therefore, is madeherein to these parts, excepting only in so far as the lever mechanismco-operates with the door-operating mechanism.

Fig. 7 of the drawings illustrates an improved form of connection forone end of the spring corresponding to the spring 20 in the otherfigures of the drawings. It consists of a plate 31 pivoted to the frame11 by means of a pivot-pin 32. It is provided at its upper edge with aprojecting lug 33, concave-convex in cross-section, said lug having atone end a depending portion 34. Near its lower end the plate is providedwith a curved slot 35, which is adapted to receive a set-screw 36. Ialso contemplate using round springs, such as 37, instead of the fiatsprings shown in the other figures of the drawings, and for each of theouter and inner spring portions two of these round springs will be used,as better results are obtained therefrom than from a single spring. Anend of each of the round springs of the outer spring portion is passedthrough the depending portion 34, and is threaded to receive alocking-nut 38. The manner of at taching the end of the outer spring 20,as shown in Figs. 1 and 3-viz., to a lug 21is objectionable, owing tothe sharp corner presented by the lug 21, which, as will be apparent,has a tendency to bend the spring and ultimately break the same. By thearrangement shown in Fig. 7, however, the spring bears directly againstthe convex under side of the lug 33, and consequently all danger ofbending and breaking is avoided. It is also to be noted that theconstruction shown in this figure of the drawings provides a simplemeans for taking up all slack in the spring, this being accomplished byloosening the setscrew, turning the plate on its pivot, and subsequentlyagain tightening the screw to hold the plate in its adjusted position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, of two pivoted levers, a yielding connection betweenthe levers, a sliding door, and an attachment to the door, soconstructed as to be engaged by one of the levers, when the levermechanism is acted upon, whereby the door is opened, and said attachmentto be likewise engaged by the lever acting thereon, when the levermechanism is actuated reversely, whereby the door is closed, and lockingmechanism adapted to automatically hold the lever in locked engagementwith the attachment, against being forced open by force applied directlyto the door, substantially as described.

2. In a door operating device for elevator wells, the combination, of asliding door, an attachment to the door, consisting of two sections,with blocks between the sections, the inner one of said blocks beingshouldered at its inner edge, and a pivoted lever having its upper endpassing between the two sections of the attachment and lying between thetwo blocks thereof, substantially as set forth.

3. In a door operating device for elevator wells, the combination, of asliding door, a pivoted lever, and an attachment to the door soconstructed as to be acted upon by the lever, when said lever is turnedin one direction, whereby the door is opened, and to like wise be actedupon by the lever when said lever is turned in the opposite direction,whereby the door is closed, the attachment being provided with lockingmeans to automatically hold the lever into locked engagement therewithagainst being opened by force applied directly to the door, and alsoprovided with a key-hole arranged to permit a key i11- serted therein toact against the lever tothrow the same out of locked position,substantially as set forth.

4. I11 a door. operating device for elevator wells, the combination of asliding door, a pivoted lever and an attachment to the door soconstructed as to be acted upon by the lever, when said lever is turnedin one direction, whereby the door is opened, and to likewise be actedupon by the lever, when said lever is turned in the opposite direction,whereby the door is closed, the attachment being provided with lockingmeans to automatically hold the lever in locked engagement therewithagainst being opened by force applied directly to the door, and alsoprovided with key-holes, one of said key-holes at whichever edge of thedoor the attachment is ap plied, adapting a key inserted therein to actagainst the lever to throw the same out of locked position,substantially as set forth.

5. In a door operating device for elevator wells, the combination, of aframe, formed or provided with a lug having a convex side, a leverpivoted to the frame, and a spring having one end secured to the lever,and its opposite end secured to the lug, and bearing against the convexside thereof, substantially as set forth.

6. In a door operating device for elevator wells, the combination, of aframe, a lever pivoted thereto, a plate also formed or provided with alug having a convex side, a spring having one end secured to the lever,and its opposite end secured to the lug, and bearing against the convexside thereof, and means for holding the plate in adjusted position,substantially as set forth.

7. In a door operating device for elevator wells, the combination of aframe, a lever pivoted thereto, a plate also pivoted to the frame, andprovided with a curved slot, and also formed or provided with a lughaving its under side convex, said lug provided at one end with adepending portion, a spring having one end secured to the lever, and itsopposite end bearing against the convex side of the lug, and secured tothe depending portion of said lug, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN P[ RUNKEL.

\Vitnesses O. T. BENEDICT, ANNA V. FAUST.

